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UCAS info

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About your course

The BA (Hons) Fine Art at Liverpool John Moores University is unique in its focus on public exhibiting of artwork, and opportunities to work with local, national and international arts professionals, agencies and galleries.

Teaching in the RIBA award-winning, purpose-built John Lennon Art and Design Building

Start month: September

Campus location: Mount Pleasant Campus

Two years after graduating I feel my most valuable skills are creativity, flexibility and determination; things that I received through the process of completing a Fine Art degree.

Ashley Leach, Fine Art Graduate

The Fine Art programme at LJMU was an exciting experience and opportunity to develop my work in a professional and friendly environment. Great technical support and facilities enabled me to experiment with a variety of media and learn new skills. The course created possibilities to connect with various institutions and organisations which I am finding beneficial today.

Justyna Czasnowicz, Fine Art graduate

Work-related learning

You will be actively encouraged to work collaboratively with local professional agencies or galleries, including Tate Liverpool, Liverpool Biennial, FACT, Bluecoat, Metal and Royal Standard.

The degree averages around 50 public exhibitions a year compared to most degree courses that will not do more than a single degree show.

As Liverpool has more museums and galleries than any UK city outside London, there can be few better places in which to study Fine Art. Against this rich cultural backdrop, the Fine Art degree at LJMU has connections with a huge range of contemporary art institutions in the city including Tate Liverpool, Liverpool Biennial and FACT through the School's unique joint academic appointments with these significant organisations. All of these institutions directly support our work with students. We also work with major organisations in the UK and abroad such as Grizedale Arts and Van Abbemuseum in the Netherlands.

This collaborative way of working will give you a real taste of the dynamic world of contemporary art, as well as giving you a chance to develop your ideas and learn how to present them as project proposals. Such experience is invaluable preparation for your future career, whether as a practising artist or working in a related field.

Support and guidance

Dedicated personal tutor plus study skills support.

If you decide to pursue a Fine Art degree at LJMU, you will join a friendly and supportive department in which you will be encouraged to develop your creative talent and to also view your own and others’ work with a critical eye. Continual peer review and the constant guidance of your tutors are designed to help you be the very best in your particular artistic discipline. The course also offers you a consistently high contact rate.

Go abroad

LJMU aims to make an international opportunity available to every student. You may be able to study abroad as part of your degree, either in Europe or the US. You could take part in a work placement in Europe under the ERASMUS+ scheme or apply for one of our prestigious worldwide internship programmes. There are also opportunities to attend a two-week summer school with one of our worldwide partners.

Our Go Global Fund can help with costs towards volunteering, individual projects or unpaid placements anywhere in the world. With all these opportunities at your feet, why wouldn’t you take up the chance to go abroad?

Course details

If you are passionate about producing and showing your artwork and would like to be involved in professional-standard art projects this is the ideal course to launch you into the world of contemporary art practice.

Boasting more museums and galleries than any other city in the UK outside London, Liverpool is rapidly becoming regarded as a European centre for contemporary art, while institutions like Tate Liverpool, Liverpool Biennial, FACT and the Bluecoat all directly support our work. You can find out more on the Liverpool School of Art and Design Fine Art Degree Show and Fine Art students' blogs. These sites will give you a good idea of the kinds of activities undertaken as part of the degree and what it is like to study at LJMU.

Right from the start of your BA (Hons) Fine Art course you will be working with a professional arts agency or gallery in the city and showing your work in the public arena. Meanwhile, in your day-to-day studio practice you have the freedom to work in any media you choose, refining your skills and working on realising your individual vision, with help from your tutors who are always on hand to offer advice.

Every year we offer national and international study trip opportunities, and we also actively encourage you to seek work placements in the UK and abroad.

What you will study on this degree

Please see guidance on core and option modules for further information on what you will study.

Level 4

Building a Vocabulary

Form and Purpose in Fine Art Practice

Introduction to Criticality

Level 5

Practice and Experimentation

Practice and Presentation

Criticality

Level 6

Advanced Practice and Experimentation

Advanced Practice and Publication

Critical Research and Publication

Further guidance on modules

The information listed in the section entitled ‘What you will study’ is an overview of the academic content of the programme that will take the form of either core or option modules. Modules are designated as core or option in accordance with professional body requirements and internal Academic Framework review, so may be subject to change. Students will be required to undertake modules that the University designates as core and will have a choice of designated option modules. Additionally, option modules may be offered subject to meeting minimum student numbers.

Please see the programme specification document for further details on this course.

Teaching and learning

Excellent facilities and learning resources.

Regular tutorials, group reviews of your work and visits to local exhibitions and events will really help you to develop as an artist and place your work in a professional context. You will also be expected to attend a rigorous programme of lectures, seminars, workshops and critiques, and there will be ongoing training and workshops in digital audio and video production, sculpture and 3D construction, digital studio photography and film, printmaking, 3D printing, textile work and painting, supported by our expert technical teams.

Your lecturers

Be supported throughout your course and beyond

Your tutors are nationally and internationally renowned artists and theorists, whose work spans a variety of media. Between them they have many years’ active involvement in major international art collaborations and are closely involved with some of the most prestigious contemporary art institutions in Liverpool. They include:

Toby Christian, sculpture, installation

Imogen Stidworthy, audio visual installation

Rory Macbeth, sculpture and performance

Kathryn Elkin, film, performance, installation

Bedwyr Williams, performance, installation

Neil Morris, contemporary printmaker

Professor Jagjit Chuhan, painter

Rick Creed, painter

Patricia Mackinnon-Day, site-specific artist

Peter Appleton, sound sculpture

Dr John Byrne who regularly publishes writing on contemporary art

Dr Mark Wright, FACT collaborative post

Professor Joasia Krysa, Liverpool Biennial collaborative post

Dr Michael Birchall, Tate Liverpool collaborative post

We regularly welcome distiguished visiting lecturers, such as Lorenzo Fusi, former curator of Liverpool Biennial and now Director of the Open Eye Gallery. You will participate in weekly lectures and tutorials from National and International visiting lecturers, including artists, writers, gallerists, and curators, as well as being involved in cross-disciplinary projects such as the 2016 project with Turner Prize winners Assemble.

Assessment and feedback

Assessment is 80% practical and 20% written work.

The primary methods of assessment are a presentation of your work to fellow students and staff or submission/installation of a portfolio of practical projects with supporting research and development work.

The way you do this depends on the kind of work you do, but we always ensure that the process is friendly and supportive and that portfolio submissions are done in the studio. Other forms of assessment include written essays, reviews, proposals, reports, a personal development planning folder and a CV and/or blog.

Your tutors will schedule individual tutorials to help you prepare for assessments, but they will also be continually on hand to help you evaluate your work and assess your progress. Verbal feedback is given during review and critique activities and at the end of individual tutorials.

You will also receive written feedback with an indication of your marks for reviews and presentations within three weeks of submitting work, although this may take longer if the marks go through an external moderation and approval process.

GCSE and equivalents

Prior to starting the programme applicants must have obtained grade 4 or grade C or above in English Language and Mathematics GCSE or an approved alternative qualification below:
• Key Skills Level 2 in English/ Maths
• NVQ Level 2 Functional skills in Maths and English Writing and or Reading
• Skills for Life Level 2 in Numeracy/English
• Higher Diploma in Maths/ English
• Functional skills level 2 in Maths/ English
• Northern Ireland Essential Skills Level 2 in Communication or Application of Number
• Wales Essential Skills Level 2 in Communication or Application of Number

A Levels

Minimum number of A Levels required: 2

Subject specific requirements: To include an Art/Design subject if no other level 3 Art/Design qualifications taken

Is general studies acceptable? Yes

Are AS level awards acceptable? Acceptable only when combined with other qualifications

Average A Level offer: BBC

Maximum AS Level points accepted: 20

BTEC qualifications

BTEC certificate: Acceptable only when combined with other qualifications

90 credit diploma: Acceptable only when combined with other qualifications

Diploma (QCF): Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications

Diploma subjects / grades required: D*D* from a relevant subject area is required if no other level 3 qualifications are taken

Extended diploma (QCF): Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications

Extended diploma subjects / grades required: DMM in a relevant subject area is required if no other level 3 qualifications are taken

Access to Higher Education Diploma

Access to Higher Education Diploma acceptability: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications

Further information: At least 15 Distinctions and 30 Merits, or any other combination that equates to 112 UCAS Tariff points in an Art and Design subject

International Baccalaureate

International Baccalaureate: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications

Additional entry requirement information

​UCAS Tariff points accepted from the Diploma in Foundation Studies (Art & Design, and Art, Design and Media). Applications are welcomed from mature and non-standard applicants, who will be considered on an individual basis. These applicants may be required to submit an essay and/or attend an interview, and should demonstrate potential and motivation and/or have relevant experience. International applications will be considered in line with UK qualifications.

Please Note: All international qualifications are subject to a qualification equivalency check via NARIC.

Finance and fees

Find out more about the student funding that you may be eligible for from either LJMU or the government. This section will give you information about grants and loans as well as targeted support for students with children, adult dependants or those with a disability.

Please note that the amount of money you will receive as a student is dependent on where in the UK you normally live (i.e. England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland).

LJMU scholarships

LJMU's scholarships are open to all new full-time Home and EU undergraduates that are liable to pay tuition fees. These awards are not income assessed, they are based on excellence. If successful, you will be awarded a scholarship for each year of your course subject to satisfactory progress. Scholarships are worth between £1,000 and £10,000 per year. The money you receive doesn’t have to be paid back.

LJMU bursary

The LJMU bursary is automatically paid to eligible students – you do not need to apply for it. The annual bursary is £500, which works out at £1,500 over a three year degree.

LJMU bursaries are means-tested and you don’t have to pay them back; they are intended to help you meet some of the costs associated with being a student.

Tuition fees

You will be charged a fee for each year of your course. The University reserves the right to increase fees up to the maximum permitted by law or government policy in the second and subsequent years of your course. Generally, these fee increases are linked to RPIX inflation (Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments).

The fees quoted are those for the 2018/19 year as information for 2019/20 is not yet available. The Department for Education (DfE) have recently announced that they will be freezing tuition fees for the 2019/20 academic year. However, this is still subject to the normal parliamentary approval. Once 2019/20 fees are confirmed we will update our web pages accordingly.

The important thing to remember is that you don't have to pay your tuition fees upfront - subject to meeting eligibility criteria, you can take out a tuition fee loan for each year of your course.

You can also take out a maintenance or living cost loan for each year of your course to cover your living expenses, such as rent and food.

You don’t start repaying your student loans until after you’ve left university and start earning at least £25,000**.

LJMU is committed to ensuring that students understand the full cost of studying at the University. Your tuition fee will cover or contribute to, as appropriate, expenses associated with your core modules, including:

safety equipment, such as lab coats and goggles

uniforms for nurses, paramedics and other professional placements

UK field trips and other educational visits

student exchanges

DBS checks (Disclosure and Barring Service – formerly CRB)

Professional sector regulatory body membership

** Repayment threshold for students normally resident in England and Wales.

Living expenses (maintenance) loan

In addition to your tuition fees, eligible full-time undergraduate students can also apply for a maintenance loan to cover your living costs. If you’re eligible, you can take out a loan for each year of your course.

The amount you’ll receive will depend on where in the UK you normally live and your household income. This money will be paid into your bank or building society account in three instalments and it’s up to you to budget for your living costs.

Part time students starting in 2018 or later can also apply for a maintenance loan.

Paying back your student loans

You only start repaying your student loans the April after you have graduated or left university and start earning £25,000* or above. Repayments are based on a percentage of your salary not how much you have borrowed from the Student Loans Company. Repayments are currently set at 9% of any income over the threshold (which is currently set at £25,000).*

* Repayment threshold for students normally resident in England and Wales.

Career prospects

Opening lots of opportunities to develop your professional practice.

There are many opportunities for contemporary artists who are building their own professional practice. You may be able to apply for grants, and supplement your income by running workshops for galleries and museums, taking up residencies, working collaboratively with other artists and artists groups, managing projects within the cultural sector and curating exhibitions and shows.

CareerSmart programme

All students in their first year of study will have an opportunity to engage with the CareerSmart programme as an integral part of a core module of study. Once you have completed this, a wide range of other career-related provision and services will be available to support your development throughout your studies.

The new CareerSmart e-learning tool will introduce you to the steps involved in making informed choices about your career. It will enable you to consider your strengths and development areas, your career motivators, the options available to you and the necessary steps to take to achieve your career goals.

International Scholarships

Studying at LJMU offers international students excellent value for money and the opportunity to secure an internationally-respected qualification plus outstanding career prospects.

LJMU offers scholarships for international students. The provision and range of these scholarships can change from year to year so it is important that you always check the website for the most up-to-date information. The University also accepts a range of external funding, should you be awarded a scholarship or sponsorship from elsewhere.

International Foundation Year and International Year One programmes

LJMU offers international students the option of completing International Foundation Year and International Year One programmes at the University’s International Study Centre. These courses are managed and taught by Study Group, a world leader in education and training for international students. For more details on the International Study Centre, go to www.ljmuisc.com/

English language qualifications

All international applicants must have an internationally recognised English language qualification, such as IELTS (International English Language Testing Service). Your English language qualification must have been certified within the last two years for verification purposes. LJMU will accept other UKVI-recognised English language tests providing you attain the appropriate level.

This table summarises the minimum scores required by LJMU, although specific course requirements may differ depending on the programme you want to study.

English language support to improve IELTS

If your English language level does not meet the required entry requirements for your course you may still be offered a place on the condition that you successfully complete an English for Undergraduate Study course at LJMU’s International Study Centre.

Tuition fee deposits

International students are liable to pay a minimum deposit of 50% of their tuition fees before their CAS can be issued. The outstanding balance must be paid in full within 4 months of the given enrolment date.

Living Costs

When you apply for your visa or entry clearance, you will need to provide evidence of having enough money to support yourself for the duration of your programme and to pay for all of your living expenses. The good news is that the cost of living in Liverpool is one of the lowest in England, which means your money will go even further, allowing you to enjoy your student experience to the full.

In addition to academic fees, you must budget for living costs such as accommodation, food, clothing, books, local travel and entertainment. UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) states that students studying outside London must have £1,015 per month for a maximum of nine months to cover their living costs.

We estimate that a single student living in LJMU-approved accommodation is likely to need an average of £5,000 to cover just their rent for a full academic year.

Academic Technology Approval Scheme Certificate (ATAS)

If you have applied to study an Enhanced Undergraduate Degree (such as an MEng) course at LJMU, you should check if you require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme or ATAS certificate.

Alternatively, contact LJMU’s International Admissions Team for guidance. It is important to note that, if required, an ATAS certificate must be obtained before your Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies can be released to you.

Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)

Before you can apply for permission to enter or remain in the UK under Tier 4 you will require a valid Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies or CAS. LJMU will only assign a CAS once you have satisfied the conditions of any offer made to you and you satisfy the University’s obligations as a Tier 4 Sponsor. For more details, visit the international students section.

Your visa application

As soon as you have received an offer of a place at LJMU you should contact the Entry Clearance Office at the British Embassy, British High Commission or Consular Office in your own country to check whether you need a visa for entry into Britain. You are advised to do this as soon as you can as the visa application process can take a long time.

Please Note: To obtain an Entry Visa you should go to the British Embassy or High Commission in your own country, and present the following documents: